DUNERS participated in the 2004 OHV Lobby Day yesterday. We flew into Sacramento on Sunday, worked the State Capitol allllllllll day Monday, attended a very nice reception where we handed out "Legislators of the Year" awards last night and then flew home. *phew*

We were extremely successful, to put it extremely mildly. I've posted a very detailed account of the entire day over on the DUNERS message board. I was going to cut and paste it here, but I'm really tired and that seems like so much work! So I'm going to post a link to that thread and anyone who is interested in reading about how far the ISDRA has advanced in the eyes of our State representatives can take some time to read it.

Before I post the link though, I am going to cut and past right here the reasons we feel that spending yesterday in Sacramento was so important:

The closures that we have been suffering with come from two primary sources... One is legislative, such as the congressionally designated wilderness area. Another is, of course, lawsuits. Other closures that are not wilderness-designated but are not caused by a lawsuit can also be classified as "legislation" driven closures, such as those mandated by adhering to the Endangered Species Act.

In our particular area of interest we are suffering losses due to both legislative and legal actions and we are facing enemies that are politically savvy, who have been working the political system for many years. They have also been working the court systems to their advantage, something that we simply cannot afford to fight at their level.

On both fronts we are rookies fighting with pros. We must become stronger on both battlefields, but the one that has greater control over the other is the political battlefield.

Laws, regulations, guidelines, can all be amended, changed or eliminated with the right political backing. Purse-strings are loosened by political pressure. Inept managers disappear or improve due to political alliances. That's just the way it is.

Money is a huge issue for us and not everything begins and ends at congressional level. For instance, how the OHMVR money is spent can be controlled through State-level legislative pressure and/or changes. Our State Legislator can help get money to our area in many other ways too.

No matter what we do on a federal level, we must also build our alliances on the state level.

Our focus, our life blood, our very souls belong to a little patch of land in California. We must get our California representatives to understand what that little patch of land means to us, our families and in some cases our livelihoods, not to mention the health, welfare and integrity of the California heritage.

But we can't do that by staying home. We have to get out there and form friendships, bonds, contacts, alliances. We know we can make a difference but, and I cannot stress this enough, only with the help of our elected officials.

The OHV lobby has tremendous clout. We have the money, we have the manpower and we have the voting population that can determine the outcome of nearly any election.

DUNERS knew that from the first thoughts of formation and so we were in Sacramento when we were brand new, we were there again this year (stronger than ever) and we will always be there.

Vicki

Silly me (told you I was tired)... I forgot to post the link to the lengthy thread on the DUNERS board.

http://www.hostboard.com/duners/ubbthreads...o=&fpart=1&vc=1

Thats awesome news Vicki, I just went over to the Duners website and read about your successful trip. Congrats on the hard work, cant wait to talk more about it tonite at woozy wednesday. See ya tonite

Thanks! We had such a great time.

We have even better stories to tell but they have to be told in person!

Vicki

I thought I would add to this a bit to give it a TEASE!!!

We made it into the intersanctum of the GOVENORS Offices!! Yes, that means ARNOLD's.

We sat with 3 Senators some for quite awhile. Made some unique contacts ! A Senator also offered to introduce me to the Congressman who can make things happen. So looks like we may have to go visit Washington DC.

We sat with 5 Assemblymembers. Each willing to help us and also one- introduce us to a Congressman with clout ! One Assemblymember is the utmost tops, who got us into the Govenors secret office.

There is more to the story. Maybe even we talked to more influencial people but right now my body is tired.

So go over and read about the news!

Cathi~
DUNERS Secty.
ASA/ AMA/ Corva member

Vicki:

I'm soooo proud of you guys. This was the reason I posted the notice to this subject a couple of weeks ago. http://www.glamisdunes.com/invision/index....showtopic=18102

I've been in your very same shoes, lead in those days by Bob Ham, who was our lobbyist in those days. I spent quite a bit of time up in Sac-of-Tomatoes in my day, each of which was as exciting and rewarding as you provide in this topic.

Back in the day, we called this coalition the Off-Road Vehicle Legislative Coalition and now has shifted to the name California League of Off-Road Voters. Pete Contaty (sorry for the butchering of the name) has done a great job with this event and CLORV. I’m sure glad that CORVA, District 37 AMA and others had the foresight way back then to have a paid presence in the State Capitol.

Finally, I’m told that Duners and Friends of Oceano Dunes were there representing the respective dune areas and issues. Was this the only two dune specific organizations in attendance?

Thank you for all of your efforts. I have spent many a day at the capital doing what you did (different industry) and can appreciate the amount of time, dedication and work it is.

The efforts you make help us all.

Thank you.

-tron

ps, two things you hear on the hill:

1) No man should ever see two things: one is the making of sausage, the other is the making of law.

2) What makes you think we read the bills?

Tron:

Ohh how true about the sayings. I've heard this many a time.

Thank you all for the encouraging words... we had such a good time and can't wait for next year. Although I have to say it's going to be hard to top this one!

Thanks ladies, chicks rule!

Yes, I have to agree with that... chicks rule! Hee hee.

Chicks Ruled the Capitol on Monday! I still get a nervous happy feeling when I recall Monday and what we threw down there.

Bonnie Garcia who is the Assemblywoman for the Glamis area, is another chick who rules!! She and we are working hard to get things to happen out there.

Cathi~
DUNERS Secty.
ASA/ AMA/ Corva member

I just wanted to give you ladies both a big "thank you" for your hard work. I've been to D.C. as part of a lobbying effort, and it was both a lot of work and a very educational experience. We all have different viewpoints at times, but fact is it's a few dedicated people here and there who are really going to make a difference in keeping the dunes open for everyone. So again, thank you for your efforts on our behalf..I do hope the seeds you planted will sprout with much good fruit..

Yes . Thank you

Not a dig Vicki, just keeping the focus on the target!

Easy to get side tracked on all the issues, and I couldn’t agree more with your political pressure statement